Process for preparing and preserving the beverage, tea



Patented July 7,1931 v mamaasazaaampfm n xdrrsnlbr mm, mime est stations so "6- cloudiness and sediment at the'time its prep- 7 flmevawasnsaas mmi 31M130, ILL N iAQ T i mmssrosmarmam rnnsanvme m ma mm This inventionrelates to a process of'preparing and preserving the beverage, tea,.1n

such a way that it is'of agreeable .flavor, sound and satisfactorily clear and free from aration is completed, and when packed will not become contaminated with bacteria or become toxic on standing, or depos t sedimentary material or become cloudy, and is practically free from finely divided insoluble material which would tend to fioculate on standing, and substantiallylfree fromcolloidal or dissolved substances which would I tend to coagulate and develop a cloudy appearance on standing, or develop an unsightly sediment through coagulation, flocculation" or precipitation and which will remain sound, attractive, palatable and merchantable for an indefinite period of time.

degree of keeping quality against decomposition by certain types of bacteria. Such a product has never been commercially practicable, however, in partbecause it is more or less cloudy and unattractive in appearance and contains finely divided insoluble particles, coagulatable or colloidal material which cannot be removed in a practical way prior to packing by sedimentation and decantation,

filtration or otherwise, and which with the passing of time will in part at least flocculate and precipitate insuch a way as to render the product unattractive, unsightly and unmer= chantable. I v 1 It is known, that a beverage prepared from tea leaves and water, packed in hermetically sealed containers and processed in boiling.

water for a reasonable time will possess such a high pH value, i. e. will be of such low I hydrogen ion'content or acidity, that unless acidified priorto processing by means 'of added acid or maintained at alow temperature after processing it will not remain sound but will undergo decomposition by certain v 312 fla or pore fornting=organisms notidestr yedw by; he mating and lllposs bly become tag-icclangerous to liicand ea th, a

' It has nptheretofo e kncwmhowever, that; heating the beverage, tea, unde pres. sure to temperatu e above the b ilingpoint; of ater for suitable periods-0i time prior to packing will without impairing the flavor of the r sul ll lflpld-pyeclp tatlon of the material wh h vcauas the beverage, tea, as

Ordinarily brewed to appe r more or less cloudy and to slowly depositsed ment a e bottom o the conta ne and that s 1.beequen 7 y the reeipitated mate ial can b removed fmm't c hove ebysedimentation and dc lini g, fil ra ion or other that the beverage, tea, of. p prepare minus those: and and s diment formi n pri c p es, which tet en, r to thee mi?- can beacidified, packed crmeticallysealed rqntainers and "processed compar tively, ow temperatures, or wh ch can he packegl m' hermetica ly sealed contamersand sterilizedwiaheayw the enema a will be'el r' andfwhiclrg will n t develop-material quantiof a d wh c w ll a rac ive, saia soundypalate and; me chanta le or anmd finiteperiodd time,

' Likewise it has not heretofore known Qt" dsmens ratedfthat thef pe 0f b e t a and the oper on'ofzrapidly precipt .l

{13' he Substanc s which ause the beven, age cloudy and vsedunent tmus can combined in oneoper tion' by brewing the beverage fo a uitable period i t m under Pressure a temperature abov that ofboit ngiwa ery'lhese things which have not heretofore been known-concerning. thepreparation and packing of the beverage, tea, com a 'stitut'e the essential parts of ourdiscoyery.

la saw s euro i m n 1t n a necessary to pliacethe desi ed quantifies of ea and watsrina satisfactory container and a,

9. he t th nuxture. for a sui ab e period of. timer: asuit ble temperature a-bc e hebmlngpqmt 9f water; 01" to brew the tea 1n the us nmary mann rg decent the b erag from he extracted leaves, suhwc he drawn, oil

evera e: endenpn ssure to a tempwature..i above thatp bqilmg w ter ferasan fia tory 00 period of time, filter or allow to stand and subsequently decant, siphon or otherwise remove the supernatant liquid and then in either case to acidify or not with an edible acid such as citric acid as may be desired, heat the beverage obtained and pack, if desired, in hermetically sealed containers or pack it hot or cold, with suitable head space, in, partial vacuum or under atmospheric pressure, in such containers and process at a temperature and for a period of time depending upon the acidity of the beverage, but sufiicient to ensure the absence of bacterial development.

It is possible to make certain modifications in the above procedure, as for example, it is more or less optional and unimportant as to what point in the procedure shall be selected for the addition of harmless acid, or sugar or both, if such additions are to be made, but such optional modifications are considered a part of our knowledge and experience, and, therefore, included in the scope of the invention.

In practicing our invention, we prefer to place tea and hot water in large earthenware containers which can be temporarily hermetically sealed. These are placed unsealed in a retort, the retort is closed and the air contained is blown out through a pet cock by admitting steam through a convenient valve. The pet cock is then closed and steam is further admitted until the temperature within the retort is approximately 240 F. and the pressure approximately 10 lbs. per square inch above atmospheric pressure (or approximately 25 lbs. per square inch absolute). This condition of temperature and pressure is maintained until the centers of the containers have been subjected to approximately the retort temperature for onehalf to one hour, or at times longer depending upon the variety of tea used. The containers are then removed from the retort, sealed while hot, and allowed to stand for twenty-four hours. The clear liquid is then siphoned ofi', heated and packed hot in ordinary hermetically sealed beverage bottles and finally sterilized in the bottles by heating them .with

steam under pressure and at a temperature of 240 F. for one-half hour. In expressing our preference as set forth in this paragraph, let it be understood that the details as outlined are not specifically required or necessary.

What we claim is:

1. The process of preparing and preserving the beverage, tea, comprising: extracting tea with water, subjecting the aqueous extract of tea while under adequate pressure to a temperature above that of boiling water for a time interval sufiicient to bring about rapid coagulation, flocculation and precipitation of the substances which give rise to cloudiness and sediment, separating the clarified liquid from the coagulated, flocculated or precipiing water for a time interval suificient to bring about rapid coagulation, flocculation and precipitation of the substances which give rise to cloudiness and sediment.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

RAYMOND T. METZGER. PAUL D. POTTER. 

